Welcome to the New Year

Monday was the start of the Chinese New Year. It's crazy to think that January is almost over. This is my last semester of undergrad. That too is really crazy. I am also the Relief Society president. Talk about going out with a bang. All of the main crew from freshman year is back and we have been spending a lot of time hanging out, doing dinners and movie nights, and I am loving it. It is great to live so close to Holly, Kendal, Shelby, and now Jen kironde who has become a kindred spirit. It's easy to see why that would be. Who wouldn't love Jen? We took her with us to Bishop Harward's house to watch Anne of Greengables. Now that is a LONG movie, but it was really cute and everyone loved it. I love our group. Tyson and Joe, and Lundy, and Mike, and Trent and Amy, and Bowen and Ashley, and Holly, and Zarah, and Kendal...the list goes on. Especially love that we do uplifting things together too. Like study and got to the temple. I got to go with Holly, Shelby, Kendal and Jen and their ward to the Manti temple this past weekend. What an experience that was. I miss California and my family and friends back there periodically. It's worst when you have those days (or in my case weeks)when nothing seems to go right. Despite being far away I still feel really connected to everyone. I talk to my family several times a week. (Caitlin is becoming more vocal and loves to call me and leave me messages and tell me little random facts throughout the day. Most recently she called to tell me that she really wants a black eye.) Kacie Gene and Monica touch base with me on the phone between classes or during transit, and keep me up to date with what is going on in the post-highschool circle. I spend a lot of time facebook chatting with Jessica and Tauna (normally when they are at work), and they fill me in on all the church drama. They also try and make me homesick by talking about things like In-N-Out, the sun, and beach weather in January. I haven't been able to spend much time with Suzanne these past weeks which makes me sad. I used to go sit in on her Biochem class everyother day last semester, and we used to get done around the same time and so would walk home together, but no such luck this year. Her class schedule is so varied that I almost always have a meeting or something going on when she is free. We still get together to go to our monthly wax appointment, and tomorrow we are going to the Draper Temple open house, which should be fun. I'm pretty sure that we are still planning on making her yearly mecca to Cali President's day weekend, which will give us some time to catch up. It's also sad to think that when this semester is over that she will be moving back up to Idaho. I don't know what I am going to do without her. She is my Grey's Anatomy, Olive Garden, Dollar Movie buddy, and my sister too. My grandmother even started telling people that we we're both coming back after graduation to live with her. It's funny how things change. We never know where we are going to end up and what it is that future holds. I don't know when I will be getting back to Californina but I do know that I am happy, and as long as I'm living the gospel I know that I will continue to be so. Life is so good. I am so blessed. I look forward with excitement to what this new year will bring. I hope that everyone will find what it is that makes them the most happy this year (I submit to you that it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ) and hold onto it with all their might. Welcome 2009. I've been waiting for you.